Though that question was for Michael, I personally can't see why not. We don't know much more about her yet than that she's a "Mound Monkey".

Palaluca is sat in the back corner of her cell, her eyes stained red from tears, when Punchau opens the door for her. She'd stopped crying some time ago, but the traces are still there.

"Is this some kind of sick joke?" she asks, her voice incredulous and more than a little angry. "Who are you, anyway?"

"The person who, if you don't leave with me quickly, will probably be in the cell next door by sunset," Punchau replies dryly. "There's a conclave meeting been called tonight; chances are they were planning to sacrifice you then. If you're that eager to die..."

"No, I'll come with you," Palaluca interrupts quickly, getting to her feet and walking out of the cell quietly.

"We don't have much time," Punchau says quietly. He leads her towards the back exit, which leads to the slave stables, with a dagger in his hand and an eye out for any other guards. Eventually the pair reach the back exit and, after Punchau checks to make sure it's safe, they walk out.

"You must know the layout of the mound better than I do, given your racing, so you should probably lead the way from here. We need to get to the jungle surrounding the mound, quickly but via a route where we're less likely to be spotted. Can you think of a route we can take?" Punchau asks of Palaluca.

So with good tides and a fair wind maybe we can resume the normal cycle on Wednesday.

Good tides indeed, my mother is doing well, she is home and although she'll never fully recover there is little to be done at this point.

Wednesday sounds like a good day to start posting at full speed again, if everyone else is in agrreance.

I'm sorry for the inconvienance, but yeah, these things happen, unfortunately.

Cheers & God Bless!!

PS: Ian, I'll try and think about a good SA for you, or atleast an idea that might help you come up with one. One immediate one is to tie it in as directly as possible with Hector to keep him from running off the mound for atleast a little while Perhaps through An and Palucua's connection as mound monkies?

_________________"It was hard-fought, a desperate affair that could have gone badly; if God had not helped me, the outcome would have been quick and fatal" (115) ~ Beowulf after defeating Grendle's Mother.

Hector, can you modify your scene? Let's assume that Palaluca is the person that An-Ara told Pac that she went to try and see at the Temple. Let's also assume that she did see Palaluca, somehow, but kept that from her brothers. Let's assume that after she and P'Tarn have fulfilled Pac's request that she again returns to see Palaluca, this time to slip her some recreational drugs to ease her passing at the sacrifice. So write her into your scene at some point -- and this will link our plot arcs.

Ian, I donâ€™t know wether you want to take Pac Utal into either the power-hungry or else social revolutionary direction, but for a Drive â€œAttaining sole Control of the Leagueâ€ comes to mind, or else â€œBreak the Caste-Systemâ€™s Stranglehold on successful Businessmenâ€.

And concerning An-Ara and Palaluca, they are definitely acquainted with each other, maybe even know each otherâ€™s real names and not just monickers â€“ Palaluca may have lied to the judge, not realizing the seriousness of her situation; Iâ€™m leaving that deliberately open for. Iâ€™m also leaving open wether An-Ara and Palaluca are friends or donâ€™t like each other a lot â€“ these things can be determined by anybody who needs these facts in a scene of his.

And donâ€™t worry about the connections, Ian â€“ your own scheduling of events wouldnâ€™t work, anyway. Remember that Punchau went to the dungeons in the later part of the morning â€“ it is about just noon when he frees Palaluca. At that time, An-Ara, whoâ€™s late for lunch at Pac Utalâ€™s, has at the best even just arrived at her brotherâ€™s compound, and certainly not yet been dispatched by him.

I already have a little something and a Bang in mind to tie these storylines together and to increase the pressure on Punchau.

Hector, so I understand that Punchau has only ever admired Palaluca from afar â€“ nice. Now that he gets to actually know her, he might find that he doesnâ€™t like her that much and come to rue his actions â€“ or not, depending on where you want to take this; itâ€™s your call, not mine.

Anyway, you realize that the temple-citadel sits smack-bang in the centre of the (circular) mound-city and that you first have to traverse the maze of courtyards, walkways and collonades that pass as Ozomatliâ€™s streets, right?

Crow Caller, Iâ€™m glad to hear that the worst seems to be weathered off. Also, donâ€™t worry about keeping Punchau on the mound â€“ he wonâ€™t get off quite that easily.

All of you, sorry for the delay for some; Itzcoatlâ€™s and Pac Utalâ€™s storylines re temporarily advanced farther than others, and we first have to bring Punchau and Ghost Jaguarâ€™s closer to theirs.

All of you, sorry for the delay for some; Itzcoatlâ€™s and Pac Utalâ€™s storylines re temporarily advanced farther than others, and we first have to bring Punchau and Ghost Jaguarâ€™s closer to theirs.

No need for apology here, all games running separate storylines run in that issue sooner rather than later.

_________________"Brothels are a much sounder investment than ships, I've found. Whores seldom sink, and when they are boarded by pirates, why, the pirates pay good coin like everyone else."- Lord Petyr Baelish, A Game of Thrones

And concerning An-Ara and Palaluca, they are definitely acquainted with each other, maybe even know each otherâ€™s real names and not just monickers...

I'm a bit lost here

Pac Utal. Pac Utalâ€™s townhouse at Ozomatli. Mid-day

This morning, a mound-monkey, one of An-Araâ€™s fellows, was to be tried at the temple; previously, there had only been censure of this kind of reckless sport, but with the steeply increased demand for sacrifices, the punishments for all kind of transgressions have recently been made more severe.

So did An-Ara originally go to the Temple district to see Palaluca? Or was An-Ara's friend the person ahead of Palaluca in the queue to be sacrificed?

So at mid-day, An-Ara arrives with the news. Pac asks An-Ara to fetch P'Tarn and then sends them off to deliver the new candy bags to the three go-betweens. Is An-Ara really that far out from Palaluca's timeline? Or did Punchau/Palaluca start out earlier in the day than Pac's opening scene?

Oops, sorry Ian I thought you meant that An-Ara should slip Palaluca some dope after Palaluca has been sentenced. The way I envisioned it, An-Ara has indeed attended the trial of Palaluca, but she didnâ€™t as much as â€œseeâ€ her (as in having an exchange with her) as hanging far back during the trial, attempting to stay inconspicuous among all the other spectators and draw no attention to herself. She was just â€“ understandably â€“ interested in how the priests were now dealing with mound monkeys.

But donâ€™t worry â€“ An-Ara and Palaluca will cross pathsâ€¦

All of you, timeline-wise Iâ€™ve avoided and will continue to avoid precise times, so as to give me some leeway in weaving the stories. It should be early afternoon when Pac Utal finishes his negotiations, noon or early afternoon when Itzcoatl emerges from the conference with the other high priests, noon when Ghost Jaguar finishes his talk with Camasoz and also about noon in the following scene.

Punchau. Somewhere in Ozomatli.

With a still stunned Palaluca in tow, Punchau makes his way through the maze of courtyards, porticoes and hallways that pass in the mound-cities for public thorughfares. He has dragged the corpse of Qaran into Palalucaâ€™s holding cell and made a hasty attempt to wipe the the spilt blood away with his friendâ€™s tunic, but Qaranâ€™s wound had just bled too profusely. Still, a casual observer passing the remote guard room should note nothing unusual â€“ or so he hopes.

The way through the temple-citadel had been harrowing. Upon emerging from the dungeons, Punchau had realized immediately that something was amiss â€“ people seemed nervous and either stood in small, tightly-packed groups or else hurried through the temple with a more than unusual haste. The behaviour of the temple staff had been hard on Punchauâ€™s nerves who had jumped every time that somebody behaved suspiciously. In the face of what he had done, he had at several times had to fight down his instincts to run when somebody he passed shot him an evaluating glance.

But he and Palaluca had won free of the temple and were just now winding their way through labyrinthine Ozomatli, heading for the steep sides of the mount â€“ and ultimately the jungle. The deadly jungle.

Suddenly, in a small hexagonal courtyard dominated on three sides by the house of some prosperous copper-smith, his shop spilling wares and custom out under the open sky, Palaluca holds dead in her tracks, refusing to yield to the tugging of Punchauâ€™s left clenched tight around her wrist.

Her beautiful eyes, still reddened from weeping, are wide with terror as she gasps: â€œWait â€“ into the jungle? Are you mad? The jungle? Weâ€™ll die! Weâ€™ll die horribly!â€

She almost exclaims the last words and Punchau shoots a nervous glance at the copper-smithâ€™s shop; luckily, the workers and the one customer seem to be only very mildly interested in the pair. They know better than to meddle in the affairs of somebody whoâ€™s obviously a high-caste temple warrior.

â€œListenâ€, Punchau says quietly but with great emphasis, â€œwe donâ€™t have time for this now. It will soon be found out that youâ€™re gone, and then we must be clear of the city or weâ€™ll both end up as sacrifices. Come now, weâ€™ll discuss this later.â€

Palaluca resists the pull of Punchauâ€™s arm. â€œWould you have me exchange one terrible death for a more terrible one?â€ she says. â€œIâ€™m not mad, I wonâ€™t go into the jungle, I wonâ€™t go, I tell you I wonâ€™t. Maybe we can hide somewhere â€¦ but no, who would hide us? But wait, we could go to another city, maybe to Arcomatli!â€

Again Palaluca, terrified and with wracked nerves, has exclaimed the last words.

Hector, it seems Palaluca is completely unwilling to shift, and forcing her in plain view of the copper-smithâ€™s may be unwise; the people wonâ€™t likely interfere with a temple-warriorâ€™s business, but they just might, and theyâ€™ll deinitely remember.Alternatively, Punchau could try to fast-talk Palaluca into compliance, at least for now. If Punchauâ€™s Wits/Persuasion, beat Palalucaâ€™s WP/Persuasion, he has for the moment convinced her of his plan. Of course, this takes some time, and the number of winning successes of Punchau will determine just how long exactly. You can not use your Drive or Passion as bonus dice, as talking Palaluca into another danger isnâ€™t exactly loving or protecting.And you can of course do something completely different as well.

EDIT: And just so you're clear of it for your future plans -- the casueways cann only be accessed from the mounds, not from the jungle. They are fifty meters high, with smooth, sheer, unclimbable sides, and not overhung or even only neared by jungle foliage. Once you're in the jungle just about the only way to get up there is when somebody on the casueway throws you a rope.

Oops, sorry Ian I thought you meant that An-Ara should slip Palaluca some dope after Palaluca has been sentenced. The way I envisioned it, An-Ara has indeed attended the trial of Palaluca, but she didnâ€™t as much as â€œseeâ€ her (as in having an exchange with her) as hanging far back during the trial, attempting to stay inconspicuous among all the other spectators and draw no attention to herself. She was just â€“ understandably â€“ interested in how the priests were now dealing with mound monkeys.

Yes, my thought was that if An-Ara had gone to the trial -- no doubt thinking Palaluca would be fined -- then once she knew Palaluca was to be sacrificed that she would return to the workshop, grab something recreational to ease her passing, and return to the Temple district and somehow get it to her. The commotion surrounding the death of the god and fetching P'Tarn has delayed her return, but she will still return as she planned. As it turns out Palaluca is long gone...

"Shh!" Punchau hisses quietly, turning to face her. "Calm down and think for a moment. Where do you think half the temple slaves come from? If the jungle is certain death, how is it that there are Descended? It is a chance. It isn't going to be easy, and it will certainly be dangerous, but a chance is much more than we have if we stay here or if we use the causeway. Where do you think is the first place they'll look? No hiding places and nowhere to run. We can follow the causeway from the ground and get to one of the cities or else we can wait here and wait for your screaming to get us both arrested. The jungle might kill us; the priests will."

Ian, that idea of your works â€“ consider An-Araâ€™s vain attempt to get drugs to the already-disappeared Palaluca part of the story.

Hector, Iâ€™ve sent you a PM. Also, hereâ€™s Palalucaâ€™s roll to stay unfazed, with Willpower 4 against her Persuasion 8:[dice]ayokrakuxx[/dice][dice]mxqlrezwcn[/dice][dice]zmbykwjzmj[/dice][dice]bupbejzcwl[/dice]

Ok, that's also 2 successes â€“ Palaluca resists Punchau's arguments. Very frustrating for Punchau, considering all the pressure on him â€“ a check of his Bad Temper is called for. As he cannot just "walk out" of the situation, the TN is not 7, but 10. Roll Punchau's Willpower against this difficulty not to lash out at Palaluca, with the Love-Passion as bonus dice.

Also, going over your character sheet once again I note that you have failed to award yourself the 1 point Passion SA increase I've granted for rescuing Palaluca â€“ that Passion is currently at 3, not 2.

Punchau snarls angrily at Palaluca. Why won't the stupid bitch listen?! "Listen to me you stupid bitch," he says to her in a low growl. "If we don't leave this city before that body is found, we're both dead. I'm risking everything to give you a chance at life. A good friend of mine is lying dead in that prison to give you a chance at life. I'm not going to let you throw it away like garbage. Not a bloody chance. You're going to come with me willingly or by the gods I'll knock you out and carry you but either way you're coming."

After a long to and fro of arguments, during which Punchauâ€™s anxiety had been steadily rising, his frustration has finally run its course in an outburst of anger, and while it is a rather mild one for Punchau, it doesnâ€™t fail to cow Palaluca. She falls silent, and with all the townspeopleâ€™s eyes on him, Punchau again grasps her wrist and drags her from the courtyard â€“ he has wasted enough time arguing with the girl. Every moment, Qaranâ€™s body might be found, if it hasnâ€™t already been.

Half dragging Palaluca, Punchau storms through a doorway leading off the courtyard and traverses the covered walkway beyond it, and then weaves his way through a the fruit stalls in yet another courtyard. A porticoe to one side of this small square gives access to the transitory hallway beyond it, and here Punchau almost runs into a young man and woman emerging from it. At first he just wants to duck past them to get to the slopes as quickly as possible, but a slight stiffening of Palalucaâ€™s arm in his hand alerts him â€“ something is decidedly wrong.

Turning to look back he sees recognition in Palalucaâ€™s face and sheer incredulity in the face of the young woman he has almost run into, an incredulity that gives immediately way to a whole gamut of strong conflicting emotions flashing across the womans face. The words â€œwhatâ€ and â€œhowâ€ wrench from her lips.

â€œIâ€™m saved, An, Iâ€™m savedâ€, is Palalucaâ€™s almost sobbing reply, and then she is embraced and hugged closely by the young woman who is also sobbing and seems to have completely forgotten about Punchau. Only the womanâ€™s companion has eyes rather for Punchau than the two young women and is measuring him with a wary gaze. Even without any armour, itâ€™s only too obvious that Punchau is a temple warrior, an agent of the priests.

Punchau curses his luck, for maybe the hundredth time in today. Only this morning, his life was in perfect order â€“ now, at noon, itâ€™s in shambles. He has betrayed the priests, stolen a sacrifice of the gods, murdere a friend, lashed out at the woman he loves, and on top of everything else he seems now to have run into some acquaintance of Palalucaâ€™s as well â€“ and by the looks of their tunics and the ornaments they are wearing prosperous ones as well, who wonâ€™t be easily intimated by his station as temple warrior.

I'm a bit confused on whether I should post Ghost Jaguar now, or if Higgins should post first? Since he would have had some time to act perhaps moving the Shoatl or something??

Cheers1

_________________"It was hard-fought, a desperate affair that could have gone badly; if God had not helped me, the outcome would have been quick and fatal" (115) ~ Beowulf after defeating Grendle's Mother.

Punchau opens his mouth to snarl a curt reply, but Palaluca is faster. â€œOh, An, he has saved me, freed me from my cellâ€, she pours out, though at least with enough good sense to keep her voice down. â€œBut now heâ€™s taking me away to the jungle.â€

At the same time that Palaluca spills out everything, causing Punchauâ€™s guts to contract violently, the young man reminds his female companion that they, too, have no time and really have to go. And all at once, Punchau recognizes the woamn â€“ he has seen her several times in the temple, accompanying that godstone-worker the priests are so very excited about. Sheâ€™s somehow closely connected with this new â€œnational treasureâ€ of Ozomatli.Of all the acquaintances of Palaluca they could have run into, they have run into the most higly connected one â€“ Punchau feels his bile riseâ€¦

â€œRun on aheadâ€, the woman orders her companion and then turns her attention back upon Palaluca and Punchau.

The situation is nerve-wracking enough to call for yet another check of Punchauâ€™s Bad Temper so as not to lash out, this time not at Palaluca but mainly at the man and woman. Before you roll please decide if Punchau is in case of a failed roll merely trying to storm off or wether he will actually lash out at An-Ara and her male companion; in the first case, TN is 7, in the latter again 10. Once youâ€™ve announced your decision roll Punchauâ€™s Willpower, without any appicable SA.

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